CNOC would like to thank Coillte and the Defense Forces for the permissions to run the even on their lands, Ruth Lynam, Hugh Cashell, Pat Healy and Val Jones for their key roles in organising the event, all the CNOC members who helped organise and run the event, and to all the people who came along and enjoyed the day – thank you all!

We should have some photos from the evnt online in a few days – watch this space and the CNOC facebook page.

Bear in mind also that the competition area is a mobile coverage black-spot, so you wont be able to get this information online once you arrive – maybe worth downloading a copy to your phone, or printing a copy to bring with you.

We have some prizes today, courtesy of one of our enterprising club members. She runs an online shop that sells paper craft kits that you use to make beautiful animal masks and heads to display, and she has offered free kits for all the prizewinners in the junior classes (M/W16-)

If you’d like to see more of what she sells, you can check her out on Etsy or Facebook:

Here’s a peek at another of our prizes – the Leinster champ (or class winner if none) in each class from M/W18 upwards will receive a mounted copy of this painting of the Knickeen Ogham Stone (located in Stranahely forest), created specially for the event by one of CNOC’s crack watercolour team. (We train first Tues every month). This is sized to fit perfectly into any 8″x10″ frame, so you can display it with pride in your home afterwards.

The actual stone can be seen standing about 10m from the road on the right hand side as you drive towards the parking area for the event, just after you pass through the barrier at the entrance to the Stranahely area. Its almost 2m tall, so you wont miss it – stop and have a look after the event!

Orienteers don’t seem to want normal trophies, so it’s often up to organisers to get creative when it comes to prizes! We’re working away hard behind the scenes to come up with a combination of practical and decorative awards for this years LOC….

The organisers took a stroll around the site earlier today to check out the access and parking options, as well as reviewing some of the river crossings. Glorious weather, hoping for more of the same in a few weeks time!

Following our latest planning meeting last night, we decided to include two entry-on-the-day courses, for anyone who would just like to turn up at the last minute for a run.

The two courses will be pitched at an easy (yellow, ~2km) and intermediate (light-green, ~3.5km) standard, and will not be championship classes – overall numbers permitting, we might be able to throw in a small prize for the winner. We’ll be charging normal orienteering prices for these courses – €8 for adult, €5 for juniors, etc..

We’d also like to remind any prospective attendees- you don’t have to enter the course designated for your specified age class – if you find that level too difficult, you are always permitted to run (non-competitively) on an easier course. Just be aware that if you do so, you’d be ineligible for prizes or titles, but you could still enjoy a run on our fabulous terrain.

The following area is under embargo while final competition preparations are being made (Its also the area for an active gun club, as well as a portion of the Glen of Imaal range, so probably best stay out anyways)